Time to Say Goodbye? Factors Affecting Self-Initiated Expatriates’ Decision to Remain in China

Abstract

Self-initiated expatriates (SIEs), who generally lack the same level of support as company assigned expatriates, typically experience high levels of stress while working in host countries. The purpose of this study is to examine how challenge and hindrance stressors may influence SIEs’ intent to remain in China as well as the possible influence of emotional resilience and cultural novelty upon these relationships. Data were collected by surveying 249 SIEs working in China. As hypothesized, hindrance stressors were negatively related to the SIEs’ intent to remain in China and this relationship was mediated by emotional resilience. Cultural novelty moderated the mediated effects of hindrance stressors on intent to remain as transmitted through emotional resilience. Contrary to expectations, however, challenge stressors were not related to intent to remain. These findings contribute to research on the careers of SIEs as this is the first study to examine how emotional resilience may mediate the relationship between stressors and SIEs’ intent to remain. The findings also contribute to research on stressors as most of the prior research has focused on the negative outcomes of work stressors (i.e., hindrance stressors), with relatively few studies testing the possible positive effects of work stressors (i.e., challenge stressors) on career outcomes.